One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival presents a “Day Of History” June 3

THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD’S “ONE CITY ONE PRIDE LGBTQ ARTS FESTIVAL” SPOTLIGHTS “A DAY OF HISTORY” ON JUNE 3 WITH STUART TIMMONS LGBTQ HISTORY TOUR, YOZMIT’S “TOTEM” AND MORE

THIS YEAR’S THEME FOR THE FESTIVAL IS “GO WEST,” REFERENCING MIGRATION TOWARDS WEST COAST UTOPIAS

EVENTS, PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMMING CONTINUE THROUGH JUNE 30

The City of West Hollywood’s annual One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival celebrates pride in 2017 with 40 days of interactive, performing, visual arts, and educational events that started on May 22 (Harvey Milk Day) and run through the end of Pride Month on June 30. One City One Pride is organized by the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program with input from community partners. For complete listings: www.weho.org/pride.

One City One Pride was conceived to expand the annual celebration of pride with programming that explores LGBTQ history, culture and art. This year’s theme is “Go West,” as the Festival looks at what pride means to those who accepted that call, for diverse reasons. Whether associated with Horace Greeley’s famous quote from the 1800’s (“Go West, young man, and grow up with the country”), The Village People’s anthem of hope and unity, or the Pet Shop Boys later cover of the song, Go West conjures images of a movement toward a promised land. For many LGBTQ people, this included the idea of a West Coast utopia, a dream of gay liberation, and the freedom to live openly in the West Coast meccas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the emerging City of West Hollywood.

With “Day of History” on Saturday, June 3, One City One Pride explores the essence of its mission with events and programming aimed to enlighten and entertain:

– Drag Queen Story Time, 11AM: Organized by RADAR Productions – who first brought Drag Queen Storytime to San Francisco’s Public Library – this free event will feature children’s stories and crafts in the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room (625 N. San Vicente Blvd., 90069).

– Stuart Timmons LGBTQ History Tour, 11AM – 1PM: Written by acclaimed author/historian Stuart Timmons (The Trouble With Harry Hay, GAY L.A.) and directed by Jason Jenn, this tour is a unique urban hike and performance art piece encountering more than a dozen costumed characters bringing West Hollywood history to life at a variety of colorful locations. The tour charmed audiences in 2015 and 2016, and returns this year for one final staging to celebrate the recently deceased Timmons’ legacy. The experience involves a brief shuttle ride and is ADA accessible throughout; each tour lasts between 90 – 120 minutes (http://stuarttimmons.com/tour/). Shuttles depart every 15 minutes from 11AM – 1PM from the West Hollywood City Council Chambers (625. N. San Vicente Blvd., 90069).

Yozmit wearable art for “Totem”

– Yozmit, “Totem Building” 11AM – 3PM: Trans artist Yozmit – the first artist to receive a Trans Art Initiative Grant from the City of West Hollywood – will stage an interactive performance installation on Santa Monica Boulevard near San Vicente Boulevard. She will invite her audience to create intentions and prayers, and in exchange stitch a ribbon or bead onto the Pyramid Dress, a piece of her extraordinary wearable art. The intentions and prayers will be used in a future performance piece.

Reel In The Closet poster

– Reel in the Closet Screening, 5PM: Reel in the Closet (http://closetreel.com/) is a feature-length documentary that lets viewers connect with queer people from the past through rare home movies dating as far back as the 1930s. Filmmaker Stu Maddux says, “I was searching for a way to really understand the people who came before me, not just read about them.” He also discovered recorded news stories and community productions, and at screenings encourages audience members to share movies of theirs, with which the documentary is regularly updated.

LGBT History Tour cast

In addition, throughout the day, LA: A Queer History will be shown in a loop in the City Council Chambers, and ONE Archives LGBTQ History Exhibits will be on view in West Hollywood Park.

For a full calendar of One City One Pride Events through June 30: www.weho.org/pride.